1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to the detection of fissile or radioactive material or to shielding material to conceal such fissile or radioactive material, and more particularly to a container crane having thereon one or more detectors to detect the presence of such fissile or radioactive or shielding materials.
2. Background of the Art
On Sep. 11, 2001, the United States was attacked by a terrorist network named al Qaeda. The al Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners to launch a massive attack. The terrorists flew a hijacked airliner into each of the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and one into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., the military headquarters of our country. The efforts of courageous airline passengers and crew foiled the attempt to fly the fourth hijacked airliner into an additional target, most likely in the Washington, D.C. area, by causing it to crash into the Pennsylvania countryside. In all, over 3,000 people were killed on American soil on the morning of Sep. 11, 2001.
The September 11 attacks were a wake-up call for America. Americans suddenly realized that our free and open society was vulnerable to terrorist attack in many ways. Everywhere, Americans saw vulnerabilities, especially to xe2x80x9cweapons of mass destructionxe2x80x9d such as nuclear weapons. A nuclear weapon is a device, such as a bomb or warhead, whose great explosive power derives from the release of nuclear energy. Nuclear weapons include so-called xe2x80x9cdirty bombs.xe2x80x9d A dirty bomb is a conventional explosive device packed with radioactive material to spread radioactive contamination that causes sickness in human beings. Radiation sickness is illness induced by exposure to ionizing radiation, ranging in severity from nausea, vomiting, headache, and diarrhea to loss of hair and teeth, reduction in red and white blood cell counts, extensive hemorrhaging, sterility, and death.
Vulnerability to harm from nuclear weapons caused by terrorists requires that the nuclear weapon be delivered to and detonated in the target area. For example, a nuclear weapon can be delivered and detonated on American soil by bringing the weapon into the country by stealth. One way of bringing a nuclear weapon into the country by stealth is to hide it in one of the tens of thousands of shipping containers that are brought into the United States every day.
It is a purpose of this invention to prevent the transportation of nuclear weapons by stealth in shipping containers into and out of ports anywhere in the world, in general, and into and out of ports in the United States, in particular. It is also a purpose of this invention to prevent nuclear weapons from being imported into the United States by stealth in shipping containers that are (1) loaded in foreign ports; (2) transported to the United States by ships, including huge ocean-going container ships that carry upwards of 4,000 twenty-foot-equivalent (xe2x80x9cTEUsxe2x80x9d) shipping containers; and, (3) unloaded in, or brought into close proximity to, ports or population centers in the United States. Using this invention, terrorists can be prevented from attacking the United States, or any other nation or population, with nuclear weapons brought into proximity to population centers by stealth in a shipping container.
a. Detection Systems
It is known in the art of nuclear weapon detection technology that nuclear weapons which use uranium emit detectable gamma rays. Given the periodic table symbol xe2x80x9cU,xe2x80x9d uranium is a heavy silvery-white metallic element, radioactive and toxic, easily oxidized, and having 14 known isotopes of which U 238 is the most abundant in nature. The element occurs in several minerals, including uraninite and carnotite, from which it is extracted and processed for use. It has an atomic number 92; atomic weight 238.03; melting point 1,132xc2x0 C.; boiling point 3,818xc2x0 C.; specific gravity 18.95; valence 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Uranium is enriched in a process whereby the amount of one or more radioactive isotopes in the material is increased.
It is known in the art of nuclear weapon detection technology that nuclear weapons which use plutonium emit detectable gamma rays and detectable neutrons. Given the periodic table symbol xe2x80x9cPu,xe2x80x9d plutonium is a naturally radioactive, silvery, metallic transuranic element, occurring in uranium ores and produced artificially by neutron bombardment of uranium. Its longest-lived isotope is Pu 244 with a half-life of 76 million years. It is a radiological poison, specifically absorbed by bone marrow, and is used, especially the highly fissionable isotope Pu 239, as a reactor fuel and in nuclear weapons. It has an atomic number 94; melting point 640xc2x0 C.; boiling point 3,235xc2x0 C.; specific gravity 19.84; valence 3, 4, 5, 6.
Since the 1911 work of Hans Geiger, it has been know that devices can detect the presence of ionizing radiation. Named the Geiger-Mxc3xcller counter, an improved version of the device detects alpha particles, electrons and ionizing electromagnetic photons. Modernly, plastic scintillation is used to detect both gamma and neutron radiation. For example, Canberra Industries, Inc. of Meriden, Conn. (www.canberra.com) manufactures and markets monitors that use scintillation detectors designed for the radiological control of pedestrian vehicles, trucks and rail cars. There are other devices commercially available that can be used to detect radiation, including those that use both scintillating and non-scintillating materials. In this description and the appended claims, all of these devices will be referred to as xe2x80x9cfissile or radioactive material detection device(s).xe2x80x9d
It is known in the art of nuclear weapon detection technology that the presence of uranium or plutonium based nuclear weapons can be concealed by covering the weapon with radiation shielding material such as lead. Given the periodic table symbol xe2x80x9cPb,xe2x80x9d lead is a soft, malleable, ductile, bluish-white, dense metallic element, extracted chiefly from galena and used in containers and pipes for corrosives, solder and type metal, bullets, radiation shielding, paints, and antiknock compounds. It has an atomic number 82; atomic weight 207.2; melting point 327.5xc2x0 C.; boiling point 1,744xc2x0 C.; specific gravity 11.35; valence 2, 4. A nuclear weapon could be placed in a shipping container and then covered with a layer of radiation shielding material, typically lead of one to two inches or more in thickness. In this way, the fissile or radioactive material detection device or devices of the shipping container crane of the present invention may not be capable of identifying the presence of the nuclear weapon. Thus, radiation shielding material can be used to deliver and detonate a nuclear weapon on American soil by bringing the weapon into the country by stealth in a shipping container.
Other shielding materials are also known in the art. For example, high density concrete is typically used to contain radioactive emission in structures. The thickness of high density concrete to shield a nuclear weapon placed in a shipping container could be in the same order of magnitude as the thickness of lead required in the above example.
There are two major limitations on the use of radiation shielding material to shield the radiation emanating from a nuclear device hidden in a shipping container: (1) the ability of an x-ray or other detection system to detect the presence of an amount of radiation shielding material necessary to shield the radiation emanating from the nuclear device; and, (2) the maximum amount of weight of the shipping container permitted by various state and federal regulations in the United States in order that the container be truly intermodal (the so-called xe2x80x9cover-the-roadxe2x80x9d weight limitation). First, x-ray or other detection system inspection of shipping containers to attempt to discern the presence of radiation shielding material is well known in the art. For example, some of these inspection systems typically produce a transmission image by the measurement of the intensity distribution of the x-rays that transverse the shipping container. Thus, radiation shielding material used to cover a nuclear weapon can be detected by the use of such x-ray or other detection systems. In this description and the appended claims, all of these devices will be referred to as xe2x80x9cradiation shielding detection device(s).xe2x80x9d
Second, the general xe2x80x9cover-the roadxe2x80x9d weight limitation for North America is a gross weight per vehicle (tractor, chassis, container and cargo) of 80,000 lbs. or 36,288 kgs. for a forty-foot or forty-five-foot container and 68,000 lbs. or 30,845 kgs. for a twenty-foot container. Thus, there is a limit to the amount of heavy, radiation shielding material that can be loaded in a shipping container without attracting attention. A large amount of radiation shielding material used to cover a nuclear weapon can exceed the over-the-road weight limitation for the cargo. Where the combined weight of the nuclear weapon and the radiation shielding material (which covers the nuclear weapon) exceed these weight limitations, there is a high probability that the container will either be physically inspected (i.e., opened, entered and viewed by a person) or refused carriage.
b. Shipping Containers Systems Or Containerization
Since the late 1960""s, the use of shipping containers for ocean-going transportation or containerization has been prevalent. The shipping container has significant advantages over the old, so-called xe2x80x9cbreak bulkxe2x80x9d system of lashing and shoring of cargo in the cargo holds of xe2x80x9ctween deckxe2x80x9d vessels or any other type of break bulk system, e.g., LASH barges. Containerization makes intermodal transportation a reality. Once cargo is loaded into a container at its origin (usually by its manufacturer or seller), containerization makes possible the transportation of the container by truck, rail and ship, over land and sea, to its destination without disturbing its contents. Containerization creates greater speed of transportation while, at the same time, less expensive handling, damage and theft.
As with all ocean going freight systems, in containerization, the port or ports of loading and unloading (embarkation and disembarkation) constitute major bottlenecks. At the load port, the full container is taken into the container yard. There, its alphanumeric identification number is recorded for tracking and location purposes. At or before this time, the cargo in the container is recorded for inclusion on the ship""s manifest (the xe2x80x9cmanifestxe2x80x9d). The full container is then stored, usually in an open yard, to await loading aboard the containership. During this period of storage, the full container can be inspected. However, inspection in the container yard requires that an additional step or function take place, namely, additional handling by additional personnel.
Similarly, at the load port, the partially loaded container is taken into the container yard. There, its alphanumeric identification number is recorded for tracking and location purposes. Prior to storage in the container yard, the cargo in the partially loaded container may be consolidated either in the same container or in another container with other cargo. At or before this time, the cargo in the container is recorded for inclusion on the manifest. Thereafter, the container is stored in the container yard to await loading aboard the containership. Similarly, during this period of storage, the container can be inspected. However, once again, inspection in the container yard requires that an additional step or function take place, namely, additional handling by additional personnel.
Tens of thousands of containers are loaded and unloaded in the ports of the world every day. However, only a very small percentage of these containers is inspected. It is said that of the some 21,000 containers unloaded in the ports of the United States every day, less than 3% are inspected. This situation represents a major vulnerability to terrorism and other unlawful conduct due to the possibility of concealment of nuclear weapons. Accordingly, a need exists in the art to mitigate the possibility of an attack on the United States, or any other nation or population, with nuclear weapons brought into proximity to population centers by stealth in a shipping container.
According to the present invention, either or both a fissile or radioactive material detection device and a radiation shielding detection device is placed on the container crane that is used to load and unload a container ship. These container cranes are usually located on the shoreside or top wharfage of the container yard where containers are loaded and unloaded. Sometimes, there are container cranes located aboard the containership itself. All of these container cranes utilize a device known as a spreader, yoke or grabber, but more particularly described as a hoist attachment. In this description and the appended claims, the words xe2x80x9cspreader,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cyoke,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cgrabberxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9choist attachmentxe2x80x9d are synonymous and refer to that part of the container crane used to load and unload container ships that is physically attached to the hoist mechanism and, during loading and unloading operations, also physically attached to the container. The hoist attachment is attached to the container by virtue of male pieces, sometimes called xe2x80x9ctwist locks,xe2x80x9d on the hoist attachment and female pieces at the comers of the container, sometimes called xe2x80x9ccomer castings.xe2x80x9d
A shoreside container crane sits on the top wharfage in an xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d frame or rectangular box frame structure. The crane has four stanchions or vertical supports that are usually on rails. The crane travels fore and aft on the top wharfage alongside the ship in order to load or unload containers from any hold or longitudinal section of the ship. The crane also has a horizontal boom-like girder held in place by suspension cables. Typically, girders extend and retract on a hinge or they may telescope (slide inward and outward in overlapping sections). In a loading operation, traveling to and fro along the girder by virtue of a carriage or trolley, the hoist mechanism and hoist attachment extend out from the top wharfage over the ship.
The hoist attachment is a rectangularly shaped structure consisting of steel beams with male pieces or xe2x80x9ctwist locksxe2x80x9d at the four comers. The male pieces lock into the comer casting female pieces located at the comers of a container. The hoist attachment is the interface between the hoist mechanism of the container crane and the container. During loading or unloading, the hoist attachment is physically attached to the hoist mechanism and the container. It is the only part of the container crane that touches the container. The hoist attachment can retract or expand to accommodate twenty-foot, forty-foot or forty-five-foot containers. In this description and the appended claims, the words xe2x80x9cspreader,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cyoke,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cgrabberxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9choist attachmentxe2x80x9d are synonymous.
For example, during loading, the hoist attachment is attached to a container. The hoist mechanism then shifts the hoist attachment and attached container upwardly from the top wharfage or from vehicles on the top wharfage or from an interim stage located on the container crane itself. Once at the desired height above the side of the ship to be loaded, the hoist mechanism and hoist attachment with attached container travel outwardly athwartships (across the ship from side to side) and stop above the appropriate container cell on the ship. The hoist mechanism then lowers the hoist attachment with attached container into the hold or onto the deck of the ship to the designated location for the particular container. Once the container is in place, the hoist attachment separates from the container and is lifted upwardly by the hoist mechanism whence it is returned to a location above the top wharfage to load another container. During unloading, the reverse occurs: the hoist mechanism lifts the hoist attachment and attached container out of the hold or off the deck of the ship and places the container on the top wharfage, a vehicle on the top wharfage or an interim stage located on the container crane itself.
For so-called xe2x80x9cself contained shipsxe2x80x9d or ships equipped with their own container crane or cranes, the structures and operations are similar. The shipboard crane sits on the ship""s deck as a rectangular box frame structure. The crane has four stanchions or vertical supports that are connected by beams, straddle the ship""s holds and are usually on rails. The crane travels fore and aft on the ship""s deck in order to load or unload containers from any hold or deck section of the ship. The crane also has a horizontal boom-like girder. The girder telescopes (slides inward or outward in overlapping sections) and extends and retracts. In a loading operation, traveling to and fro along the girder, the hoist mechanism and hoist attachment extend out from the ship over the top wharfage. The hoist mechanism lowers the hoist attachment which then attaches to the container. Once, attached, the hoist mechanism lifts the hoist attachment and attached container upwardly to an appropriate height over the side of the ship, travels inwardly athwartships (across the ship from side to side) and stops above the appropriate container cell or deck location on the ship. The hoist mechanism then lowers the hoist attachment and attached container into the hold or on to the deck of the ship to the designated location for the particular container.
The structures and functions described above for shoreside and shipboard cranes exist and occur identically when the water vehicle is a barge rather than a ship. In this description and the appended claims, the words xe2x80x9ccontainer cranexe2x80x9d mean a container crane whether operated on shore or aboard a waterborne vehicle (a ship or a barge).
There are some shore side container cranes that load the container in more than one stage. In a two stage container crane, there are additional, rearward (the part of the crane that is the farthest from the ship) stanchions. These stanchions create an additional hoisting area at the rear of the crane (the part of the crane that is farthest from the ship). In the additional hoisting area, an additional hoist mechanism and hoist attachment are employed. The additional hoist mechanism and hoist attachment lift the container to a platform located on the container crane itself. Thereafter, the hoist mechanism and hoist attachment at the front of the crane (the part of the crane that is closest to the ship) take the container from this platform and load it aboard the ship in the manner previously described. There are also container cranes that handle more than one container at a time. In this description and the appended claims, the words xe2x80x9ccontainer cranexe2x80x9d mean a container crane whether it has an additional hoisting area, hoist mechanism or hoist attachment or handles more than one container at a time.
It is the invention of the systems and methods described herein to make and use container cranes of which fissile or radioactive material detection devices and/or radiation shielding detection devices are a part. The fissile or radioactive material and radiation shielding detection devices located on the container crane (preferably on the hoist attachment) will inspect the container just before, during or just after the time that the hoist attachment of the container crane is attached to the container and while loading or unloading the ship. The fissile or radioactive material detection devices and radiation shielding detection devices may further be equipped with a microprocessor which will receive, process (e.g., compare) and communicate a record of the levels of radiation or extent of radiation shielding material present in the container.
With this system and method, a shipping or stevedoring company can check the level of radiation or radiation shielding material present in virtually every container that the company loads onto or unloads from virtually every ship or barge it operates or stevedores. After the microprocessor records the levels of radiation or extent of radiation shielding material present in the container, this information can be communicated (on a wire or wirelessly) to the operator of the crane, the operations office in the container yard and, through a computer at the dockside, to the headquarter office of the company or any governmental agency or authority. Among other things, the shipping or stevedoring company can use the information about the levels of radiation or extent of radiation shielding material present in the container to decide whether the particular container should continue to be loaded or unloaded or, rather, should be subject to further detection techniques, including physical inspection.